


Forget Me Not

by Space_RangerStarr



Category: Invader Zim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 13:06:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11059602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Space_RangerStarr/pseuds/Space_RangerStarr
Summary: What if The Trial took place years later, when Dib and Zim were in high school, and their hatred of each other had dwindled to familiarity. What if during the deletion process some memories were lost. What if they were forced to come face to face with some very difficult truths?





	Forget Me Not

Dib didn't think that he'd ever miss his arch enemy. Especially while the other was still present....

     It wasn't odd for the alien to disappear for a bit sometimes. Dib didn't think anything of it when he was gone for a day. Just business as usual, just the typical fight for earth. Just another one of his plans. Dib didn't think anything of it, until Zim returned and everything changed.

     "Zim! You're late!" Dib sneered as Zim walked into the middle of first period. The green boy just gave him an odd look and ignored him, walking to his seat and plopping down, putting his legs up on the desk. The teacher had stopped bothering to stop this.

     Dib stood and pointed to him, "He's late! He should be sent to the front office!"

      The teacher sighed and put her hands on her hips, "Zim, do you have a late pass?"

      Zim shrugged and inspected his gloved nails. Since adopting a more human wardrobe he now wore different gloves every day. He wouldn't admit it, but he rather liked the ability to wear whatever he wanted. It meant he could wear more of his favourite colour, purple.    

      Dib continued to make a big deal, and finally the teacher waved him off and said that Zim was here now and that's what important, so they should get back to their work. Zim shot Dib another odd glare, furrowing his brow a bit, as if he didn't get why Dib was making such a big deal and was rather annoyed about it.

     Dib was rather annoyed about this whole thing. Why did Zim always get away with stuff and he didn't? Sometimes he got in trouble for stuff that Zim did! He was sick of it. All of this was so unfair. The world was unfair! He was trying to save them, and this is what he got? Why was it that he was the only reasonable person on earth!

     As always, Dib decided to take matters into his own hands...and things out on Zim. After class he shoved the little alien against the lockers. "What's the big deal,much Zim?! What are you late for now? Coming up with another EVIL PLAN???? Well I'll stop you! I'll stop you before you even-" he was cut off by Zim shoving him away and walking off, glancing back with that look again. It gave Dib chills. It boiled his blood. It honestly scared him...it was the same look that everyone else gave him. The look that said "he's insane".

     "Zim! Come on, Zim, this isn't funny! Stop it! Whatever you're plotting, I'll-"

     "Leave me alone already you weird human worm!" Zim yelled, "and stop following me! I'm not planning anything. IM NORMAL!" He then bolted down the hall and out of sight, leaving Dib standing in the middle of the hallway, questioning everything.

****

     Dib was disturbed all through second period. He couldn't pay attention. He found himself staring off into space, rethinking everything he thought he knew. Why was Zim acting so weird? He acted as if he didn't know him. Dib wouldn't think anything of it, would have considered it just another dumb evil plan, if only it weren't for that look. He knew that look, and he had gotten used to it, but not....not from Zim. From Zim, it left him feeling cold and empty, shaking and angry. He just couldn't wrap his head around it. Maybe this was another dream, like the time Zim had him live his whole dream life, but in reverse. His biggest fear.

     But, that would mean that, Dib's biggest fear is...

...losing Zim.

     No. No, that was ridiculous. All of this was ridiculous. It was al just a dream, or some crazy, extra evil plan. Zim had really done it now. Dib had to give it to him, this was one of the best plans he'd come up with lately. But boy, was he going to make him pay.

     He found him outside his next period and bombarded him with a bucket of rainwater he had grabbed from the garden outside. The little alien screamed and hissed, glaring at the human. "Hey! Get away from me, you crazy-"

     Dib snapped, "I'm not crazy! Stop it, Zim! Stop whatever you're doing! Get me out of here, end this, I know what you're up to!" He started clawing at his own head, searching for some plug he could pull, some probe to tear off. But instead he just found a whole hallways of people staring at him and whispering, and Zim standing there right in front of him, looking confused and freaked out, and.....disgusted. Oh that was the worst part of all, it turned Dib's stomach upside down. He didn't care what his enemy thought of him, his opinion didn't matter, but seeing the one person who ever thought he was good enough, who ever saw the potential in him, look at him like he was nothing more than some dirty gutter rat was...the worst thing Dib could possibly imagine. He grasped at his hair and cried out helplessly, falling to his knees. "What have you done to me?? ZIIIIIIIIIIM!"

     Zim looked down at the boy and shook his head, crossing his arms, "I don't know why you're so obsessed with me, random earthling, but I don't blame you. I AM the mighty ZIM!!!! But I don't have time for this. I've got to get to my normal human classes where I will be normal like any other normal human." He turned on his heel and marched to his next classroom, whistling without a care. He left Dib in his dust, staring after him as his vision went in and out, eventually fading to black.

****

     Dib woke up on a cot in the nurses office. Luckily where he had passed out had been right around the corner, and some kind janitor had found him and brought him there. More like he was in the way and the janitor dumped him in there so he could sweep the floors. Either way, Dib found himself staring at the ceiling while the nurse talked to some kid about their symptoms, sounding rather uninterested and monotone. He thought back over what had happened, replaying it in his head over and over and over again. If this really was a dream, it was a terrible nightmare and he wished he could wake up right now and kill Zim for doing it. But a part of him, somewhere in that big head, had the sick, terrible feeling that this was completely real....

     Once he had rationally concluded that yes, this was real, and found the ability to stomach that, however hard, he got up and dragged himself to class with a pass from the nurse. He sat down in his seat, diagonal from Zim. It was computer class. Not much to do, pretty much a free period at this point. The teacher didn't really care and wasn't paying attention half the time. Dib was in the second seat from the corner and Zim in third seat from the corner on the other side. There was no one siting on either side of Dib, but he still stayed in that seat nonetheless. He spent most of the period this time watching Zim. Though that wasn't much different from usual, this time it was a lot quieter, and people were getting scared. Whispers were going around about the freak finally cracking. Maybe he'd be sent back to the looney bin for good.

     Zim occasionally glanced Dib's way, eventually sticking his tongue out at him or making silly faces. Dib wondered if this meant that he was just pretending, just playing around, but it turned out he was looking at himself in the reflection of Dib's glasses and found it rather amusing. The alien chuckled softly at himself and turned back around. Dib felt his heart sink (and why did that chuckle make it all the worse?) it resounded in his head. Zim didn't sound evil, he sounded like any other annoying egotistical teen just having fun and ignoring the rules. Dib felt like he was slipping. Maybe everyone was right and he really was loosing it. Maybe all of this was just some big lie.... But wait! No! Zim was definitely still an alien. Nobody was green and had no ears or nose! He still had a mission!

     He waited until the end of the school day and followed Zim home several feet behind. It wasn't hard; Zim wasn't too observant, and he had bad hearing. Dib wait and hid I'm the bushes under the window, peeking in as Zim walked up to Gir and said something to the robot which Dib couldn't quite hear through the glass. Gir just kept shoving tacos in his mouth and laughing at the show. Zim sighed and headed for the kitchen. Dib snuck around the house and looked through that window. Zim was sitting at the table with his homework in front of him, tapping his pencil on the table and humming. He ended up just holding the pencil in front of his face and moving it up and down so it looked like it was rubber, then laughing. Dib frowned and groaned in frustration. Why wouldn't the alien do something useful!

     Finally Zim pulled his disguise off and went down into the base. Perfect! He had proven that Zim was still Zim, an alien, and he still had a base under the house for evil plans. So at least things seemed to mostly be the same... But, why was the alien acting so normal, as if nothing had changed? He wasn't that good of an actor. Dib knew it. So why... What was really going on?

****

     Several weeks passed. Zim still looked at Dib just like everyone else did. Every time Dib tried to put him, stop him, yell at him, annoy him, Zim didn't fight back, unless he was directly and obviously provoked, like when Dib threw things at him. Zim really hated having things thrown at him, especially if he was concentrated on something before hand, or if it was food. So Dib resorted to sabotaging him in every little way he could, often by throwing food at him. But then eventually Zim disappeared during lunch period and Dib had no clue where he went. He started getting smarter, prepared. And still....still no sign of recognition, of familiarity.

     Finally one day Dib decided to confront the problem head on, because he could feel his sanity slipping, it was getting harder and harder for him to hold on, to get up in the mornings, he could barely even eat anymore. He was nothing but skin and bones, even more so than before. Though actually the boy had always been rather strong.

     "Hey! Zim!" Dib grabbed the alien by the arm, stopping him in his tracks.

     Zim immediately resisted, trying to pull himself free. "Let go of me, you filthy human pig monkey!"

     Dib grinned a bit, despite himself, "Yea! That's it! That's the Zim I know!"

     "What? What are you talking about? I don't know you! You're just that weirdo who follows me everywhere and throws food at me. How dare you! I AM ZIM!!!"

     With that the human snapped, his eyes going dark, vacant. Something primal took over. He lost all control. He slammed the smaller male against the wall, grabbing him by the shoulders, fingers digging into his flesh, gripping him too tight. The alien squirmed, trying to pull free, kicking and pounding, but it did no good. Eventually he went limp, realising that it was useless, and resulted to yelling. Dib shook him, growling, voice low and fierce. "What did you do, Zim? What have you done? Why don't you remember me? Why!!!!???" He resisted the urge to tear the alien in half. It was so tempting. He felt like he could do it, right now. Right here. It would be so easy.

      He squeezed tighter and slammed Zim's head against the wall hard, then suddenly released him and sunk to his knees. He put his head in his hands, "Why? Why do t you remember? Am I crazy? Am I really as crazy as they say?" He kept mumbling to himself while Zim stood over him, looking down sore and confused, and annoyed.

     He frowned and shrugged, "I don't know what you're talking about. I am ZIM! I do not forget." He walked away without returning a single punch, kick, or rude remark. As far as he was concerned, this strange kid wasn't a threat. And Dib knew that. He could see. He could tell. And it left him broken inside. He didn't know if he could ever recover. What was he to do? Everything he knew was gone, and what was left was being brought into perspective finally. He was beginning to see the sick truth, that Zim was the only one who really ever saw Dib, saw him for what he was, saw him as someone capable and worthy. An alien from another, advanced planet had thought him a worthy opponent when most humans thought him barely worth a glance. Zim made him feel alive. Without him, he would never accomplish anything.

      That dream of his perfect life he had years ago as a kid was just a childhood fantasy. Now he could see how idealistic and unreasonable it was. Now he could see. And now he knew what he really wanted, what he really needed, what all of this was all about. He truth was that all he ever wanted was validation, recognition, respect. He claimed he was fighting for the earth, but the earth never did anything for him. Really he was just fighting to be a hero, to be recognized, but he had learned long ago that such a thing would never happen. What he had been fighting for wasn't earth, wasn't to be a hero.

     No, he was t so childish and hopeful and ignorant anymore. He knew what would really happen if he ever turned in Zim. He knew. And yet he still fought. He fought because, it kept him in Zim's way, in his thoughts, in his life. He fought because Zim was the one who gave him what he had always wanted: validation, recognition, and despite what he said even respect. In fact Zim was always far less cruel and more fair in his tactics than Dib had been. Dib sought out every weakness and used it every chance he got. Zim had never bothered to do so. Call it idiocracy, but now Dib thought it might be more. Zim had never really been fighting his best fight. He could have been far more destructive than he was. He could have been done with it long ago, it there was something more in him than just the usual blind Irken loyalty to the empire, there was a moral compass of some sort in there somewhere. Zim had priorities, he had values, he had feelings. Zim's plans didn't work because he didn't let the,m he never let them get out of hand enough to really destroy enough, because he was run by emotions. And anytime things got too close to home-literally, any time so,etching threatened the base-Zim would slam the breaks.

     Dib had noted things about Zim over the years. Even though he was still rather stubborn and thickheaded, he had spent so much time around Zim and watching Zim that even he had to notice. He had tried to use GIR against Zim once, holding him captive, and he unleashed an even more powerful and terrifying side of the alien than he had ever seen. Some sort of primal protective instinct. Since then Dib never touched the robot. Though he knew destroying it would get to Zim, part of him held back. Part of him always held back now, because he knew he needed the alien. Because they had stopped trying to destroy each other quite as much, because it had been so long, because they knew each other better than anyone, because Zim was all he had... Because Zim was, in some strange way which Dib wouldn't have admitted out loud, becoming something of a friend to Dib. Because they had both settled down and started getting more familiar. They had started to band together, them against the world.... And now... Now all of that was gone. Enemy or not, whatever he would call him or refuse to admit to, he was gone. Zim was gone. The alien... Everything he cared about was gone.

****

      If nothing else, one could always say quite certainly that Dib was stubborn. Stubborn, determined, and he never gave up. He never knew when to quit. And he certainly wasn't going to quit now. In the last month and a half he had been forced to confront some truths which left a bad taste in his mouth and wishing he were the one with memory loss. But no, he wasn't giving up. He needed a will to live, and that will was Zim, eternally tied to him no matter what Dib were to do. And he had accepted that fate and wasn't about to let it go. He wouldn't let that red string be cut. But the shears were coming ever closer, and he could feel his soul slipping away into the netherworld. But he wouldn't go down without a fight. That was another thing one could always say about Dib.

     He had started out by trying to remind him. First outright reminders. Remember that time that we had to go into my head? Hey, are you still afraid of bees? Look if you'll just watch this episode of Mysterious Mysteries you'll see! It's us it's- But Zim never listened. He never heard. And nothing seemed to spark anything. It was worse than usual, worse than ever. Dib dared not to give up, though. Every day he'd hive the other tiny reminders. Pictures, notes, anything he could think of. It Zim just seemed concerned and confused. Luckily he didn't try to do anything to Dib like he had to Keef, but then again Dib has also done most of the sabotaging himself. And he fought harder than Keef any day.

     Occasionally Dib would begin to see glimmers of hope. Zim would pause, scratch his chin, think for a moment. He would finish a thought, or react to a picture, but it was never enough. Dib was finding himself desperate. Finally he decided, he had to figure out what had happened to Zim. What had caused this. So one day he skipped school and went straight to Zim's house. He knew the robot would be there and, dumb as he was, would let him in.

     Sure enough, Dib got in easily. He begged the tiny robot to have a moment of clarity. "Come on, GIR! Don't you remember anything? What happened to Zim? What caused this?"    

     "Uuuuu I dunno!"

     "GIR! Listen, what happened on that day? The day that you took over for a day? Do you remember where your master was? Did he say anything about what he had been doing?"  

     The robot thought hard, "Oh yeaaaaah! Master was in trouble and I was suppose to help him! Oopsies." He began to sing and walked off, leaving Dib frustrated and confused. In trouble? So Zim had gotten into some sort of danger and GIR failed to come to the rescue. The result was, well...Dib's worst nightmare. He shuddered and resolved himself to get to the bottom. He was close. He had a clue. He decided to Rey one more thing before leaving the house.

     "Computer!"

     "Whaaaat? Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

     Dib put his hands on his hips, "Do you know what happened that day? The day that Zim was in trouble? The day he came back with his memory wiped-his memory of me?"

     The computer did some thinking. Or....computing. "Zim was taken to the Massive for a trial."

     Dib furrowed his brow, relaxing his stance, "A...a trial? Of what sort?"

     "A trial to determine if he was defective," the computer answered somberly, "though it was revealed to be merely formality."

     Dib's head was reeling from this information. Defective? Merely a formality? Dib had gleaned throughout the years that the Tallest were not exactly found of Zim, and that there were plenty of people out there that wanted Zim dead, but... Well, this certainly made him feel that perhaps he had been miscalculating Zim all along... "And...what would they do? If the verdict was guilty?"

     "Erase him."

     The news hit him like a hammer. ERASE- But...no. They would erase their own soldier? "But Zim is an invader, don't they-wouldn't they-"

     "Zim is not an invader," the computer cut off, "not officially since he ruined Operation Impending Doom 1."

     Dib shook his head, confused, "But, but he says he-"

     "Zim was determined to be defective, and they began the process of deleted his data."  

     Dib stood there in shock, mouth opening and closing again. He didn't know how to take this information.

     "It overloaded the control brains and backfired on them. Perhaps in the process some of his memory was deleted. The memory of you. Perhaps, if he had been thinking of you at the time of the deletion, those memories would have been brought to the front and, being the more prominent ones, been easier to erase," the computer explained. "But what do I know. Nobody listens to me."

     Dib shook his head, "Thinking of me? As he was dying? Like, his life flashing before his eyes?"

     "It is not the same as a human dying, but in a way, yes. He would have watched as his very essence, his life, all of him was slowly erased. They played back some of his memories during the trial, of his time on Irk. It would not be too far to assume his last thoughts may have gone to earth, to his last attempt to prove himself worthy."

     "How do you know all of this? He won't even talk about it."

     "I am a part of Zim. I have his data. Also, I have to watch him every day and help with his ridiculous plans."

     "So, the Tallest...they did this? They...really don't like Zim, do they? But he wants their approval..." Dib was trying to work through all of this new information about the alien he thought he knew so well.

     "One time he stood for three hours yelling for them on a transmission will they stood there waiting for him to stop. Once they cut the line, he stood there for two hours afterward. They sent him hear to get rid of him. It wasn't a true mission, it was a banishment."

     That last bit left Dib uneasy. He stumbled back and plopped down on the edge of the couch, staring down at the floor.

     "Zim knows all of this, truly, but he denies it. Like you, he tries to keep going despite it all. You are both really not that different. Both hated by your people, seen as outcasts, crazy, broken, yet still somehow recklessly, irrationally fighting on, fighting for the very people that want you gone. It is...one of the best qualities of my master. He may have terrible ideas and rarely listens, but he is actually kind, and he will never give up. That much I can say," the computer sighed. "Now, is that everything you needed?" Honestly these two were so tiring. It had been years and they were still as daft as ever. Why was he the only reasonable person....er....consciousness in the place?

     Dib slowly nodded, muttering a small thanks to the computer. Well, he had gotten what he wanted. He had discovered the truth. The reality. And he....he...

     He found himself crying. Dib sat there, touching his face and bringing back wet fingers. He sat there and stared as tears rolled down his cheeks silently. He sat there for ten minutes until he had finally let it all out. Then he stood and left, quietly, as if nothing had happened. But in reality, he would never be the same again. And this time, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Dib had learned a lot over the last couple of months, and he was glad for it, because he had become a lot more aware, and he had finally realized everything he had been missing. As hard as some of it may be to accept, to come to terms with, as odd as it may be, and as confused as it may leave him, it was important, and he could recognize that, and appreciate it. He was not the ignorant thickheaded kid he used to be. And this time, this time he would fight harder, harder than he had ever fought before, because now, finally, he really, truly realised what he was fighting for. Who he was fighting for.

****

     Dib didn't know exactly what he was planning. He didn't know what to expect, what to do, but he was desperate. He had to do something. So he asked Zim to come over to his house after school. He promised that he wouldn't scream or hit him or throw anything. He assured that he just wanted a chance to talk. Zim agreed, if nothing else because he was curious and bored. Transmissions to the Tallest had stopped working since he got back. He knew. He knew, but he was trying to keep up the appearances of his life as a human. At least he had that. Maybe he could be a better human than he ever was an Irken. Maybe, but who knew. What would it hurt to humour this weird kid for a little bit?

     They arrived at Dib's house and the human awkwardly sputtered about what each room was, giving random facts, slipping in a few mentions of things they had done, like the time that Zim went microscopic and flew around his insides. Zim ignored it all and followed him around until they finally ended up on Dib's room. Dib sat on the edge of the bed, hands clasped in front of him. Zim stood in front of him, waiting to see the point of all of this. He felt he would probably leave soon, because he was getting bored, and GIR shouldn't be left alone for too long.

     "Zim, I...." Dib trailed off, them sighed, hanging his head. "I'm sorry" he spoke in almost a whisper. "I'm so, so sorry, Zim. For everything that's happened to you. I didn't know, I- I just, I assumed. The moment you walked into our fifth add class, I was determined to destroy you for my own gain. I never even stopped to consider you, who you were, what sort of person. I only saw alien. And it took me so long, too long, to stop being so blind. I saw the signs. You always defended your home, your minions, you were always willing to work together if needed, and the older we got the less we fought, the more you were willing to listen. I learned a lot about you in the years we've been together. I think I've stayed more stubborn through all of it than you, and o wish I hadn't. You've done some good things, Zim. You've shown good qualities, but I never tried to look. I never cared. I just wanted what I wanted, and I never realised, I never saw how integral you were to that. Now our fates, our lives are intertwined so deeply, so tightly, I think if I lose you, I'll be gone for good. There will be nothing left for me to hold onto. And even worse would be having to see you move on and live your life without me being a part of it. I thought... Well I felt like we were sort of becoming...like...friends lately, and I..." Dib cut himself off, putting his hands over his face as he tried to contain his emotions. Dib rarely let such emotions show, especially in front of people. Especially in front of Zim. But here he was, crying for the second time in just a week. But he maned to contain it without the other really seeing. He took a deep shaking break. The alien was still silent. They both stayed like that for a moment, before the other finally spoke.

     "You keep speaking as if we've known each other..." Zim didn't sound annoyed but curious, as if he was thinking, trying to determine the reason, the meaning.

     Dib looked up, "Yeah, we have.... Look." He showed Zim some of the pictures of him and the two of them about his room. His yearbooks. He showed him everything he could find, he told him every story, he showed him shaky videos he had taken on school trips that he never could bring himself to destroy as dumb as they were. One included a clip of Zim laughing, not evilly, but joyfully. It was the first time Dib had ever heard him laugh for a reason that wasn't bad. Just because. And that part of the disc was a bit fuzzy because he had replayed it so many times. It was around the time that Dib had begun to consider Zim something more than an enemy that he had pulled this out and examined it and reexamine damn eventually it became something of a coping mechanism, somewhat of a strange comfort.

     Through this Zim stayed silent or curiously commented and questioned a few things. It didn't seem as if he was remembering much, but it did seem as if Dib was getting through to him. Dib looked up, hopeful, watching the Irken's face as he furrowed his brow and flipped through the yearbook that was in Dib's hands. He was now sitting in his desk chair with the Irken standing beside him, leaning over. He was close, and Dib felt a strange magnetism. He always did, as if he was being drawn to Zim, that red string always drawing taught when the two were close. And before he knew what he was doing, Dib felt himself leaning closer, eyes closing as he felt alien skin under his lips. He only lingered briefly before pulling away, leaving a wet mark on the alien's cheek. Dib sat still, blinking, blood pooling in his cheeks. The Irken stood stiff as a statue, frozen as if time had stopped. Then suddenly he turned to the human and brought his hands to his face, gloved fingers splayed across his cheeks. He looked into the human's eyes, his deep, golden brown eyes. There was something there. There was a spark between them, something, something important, something special that had kept him from doing anything rash to the other, from using him as some experiment or another or just tossing him away, that made him restrain himself. He felt some sense of attachment to this creature, to this person... Nobody, nobody had ever fought this hard for him. Only to kill him...and they never succeeded. Yet this boy, this human teen, with all his brilliance and his money he fought tooth and nail with everything he had to get Zim back. He fought and he fought and he fought. He broke down more than once, and he cried in front of him. Showing such emotion was...well, Zim appreciated what it meant. How hard it was. How hopeless, helpless Dib must feel right now. How much the other seemed to need him. Zim was no idiot. He was empty inside himself. He had been disappointed when the strange angry boy wasn't at school the other day. He may have thought him crazy, but he could tell he was different from the other kids, the other humans. He had seen how brilliant he was, now equally shunned and unwanted. And how damn, damn hard he fought for Zim, an alien from another planet who was trying to destroy theirs, who didn't remember him at all. Even after all of that, this Dob kept fighting...

     Zim brought their foreheads together, closing his eyes. He tried to remember. He tried his best. He breathed in Dib's scent. He still held his face, he shifted closer and slid into the humans's lap. He willed himself to remember, as if he could just bring it back. He thought back to the trial. It may be gone forever. What if it was? Why did that thought upset him so? He knew why. He knew perfectly well why. And he thought and he thought and he tried to fight as hard as Dib had fought for him, and his brow was furrowed and his face was now tilted down toward Dib's collar bone and he let his hands slip from Dib's face and just rested his head on his shoulder, sighing. It was hard. It was so hard. But this was important. This was perhaps one of the most important things for him to remember. Not perhaps...he was certain it was. Because he was certain, even without his memories, that he needed this Dib-human as much as the Dib needed him. And he...maybe just a little bit...he wanted him, too.

     Dib stayed silent and patient, trying not to move too much, to scare off the alien. After the other was slumped over for a minute Dib carefully put a hand on the others back, just below his PAK. He sighed and rested his cheek on the top of the alien's head gently, careful not to smush his antennae that he knew were hidden under the wig. He closed his eyes, drifting into thought as the other stayed silent and still.

     In Zim's mind, as he relaxed and just gave in to whatever memories decided to flow into his mind, occasionally thinning of the things Dib has shown and told him, flashes began to come. Brief, mostly emotional, as he was a very emotionally run person. He tired to focus on them but they evaded. So he just let them come. Flashes, more, longer, more intense. They kept coming. One after another and another and- He shot up, gasping. His eyes widened and he grabbed Dib's face, staring into his eyes. Dib stared back, eyes wide as his own. "You....kissed my cheek!" The alien flicked the human's nose. "Gross. Keep your Dib-human germs to yourself," Zim crossed his arms, but didn't make a move to get away from the other.

     Dib just blinked and stared at the other in confusion and shock. "Wh..." He rubbed his nose a bit. "Zim?" He asked hopefully. Did the other remember? Had it worked? Had he won?

     After a moment of more silence, Zim lowered his head and spoke in a low, quiet voice, "I....need you too, stinky human." He grumbled a bit and reached out, grasping part of Dib's shirt in his claw. "You...fought for me. Harder than...than anyone..." He trailed off.

     A smile tugged at Dib's lips and sighed in relief, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. He wrapped his arms loosely around the alien. "I know...about the trial..."

     Mention of it caused Zim to flinch, grimacing. "Dib-"

     He stopped him, "No, I know. I won't...I won't talk of it again. But I just want you to know...I don't think you're defective. I've seen inside your head, Zim. You're loyal to a fault. They programmed you to be loyal only, but you wound up with feelings and aspirations all your own. Mixed with that need to please them, it....it must not have been easy for you. But...all those things, they may make you a bad Irken, but they do make you a pretty good human...and I...I...don't want to lose you. Not again. Not ever. I'll never let it happen again. And those...those Tallest....those Irkens...they can suck it."

     Zim paused for a moment before bursting out in laugher. He wiped his eyes with one hand, still gripping Dib's shirt with the other and sighed. "You...you're not so bad yourself.... Dib-worm," he grinned deviously before returning the kiss to his cheek. "But don't tell anyone I said that."

     "Who would I tell? You're the only person I talk to. At least, the only one I care to...I mean...I figure by now we're....not really enemies anymore."

     Zim nodded and grinned, "This planet...I don't really feel like destroying it anymore anyways."

     Dib laughed, "Well that's good to hear. There are far better things to do with your time."  

     "Oh yeah? Like what?"

     "Like-like ice skating."

     Zim frowned, "I haven't been ice skating."

     "Really? No but what about- Oh, that's right. You missed that trip. Well, I'll have to take you some time, the ."

     Zim looked suspicious, "Really? This ice skating....is it....fun?"

     Dib smirked down at him, moving his hand idly up and down the alien's back, "Mm, yeah, I'd say it's pretty fun. So long as you don't fall."

     "Ha! ZIM? Never! But you, Dib-thing. I bet you'll fall," the small alien poked the other in the chest pointedly.

     Dib smiled softly and pulled the other closer, "Yeah, you're right. In fact I think I already have..."

     "Eh??" Zim looked up at him, not understanding.

     Dib just shook his head, "Shut up, you stupid alien." He pulled him close and pressed their lips together. Zim's eyes widened and he had a moment of panic where he didn't know what was going on and he tried to pull away. Several thoughts flashed through his head before he remembered the human customs and what this means. It was a kiss, and it was a human sign of affection. His cheeks turned brown from the pink blood rushing to his green face and he closed his eyes, leaning forward and pressing into the kiss. After a moment they pulled away and Dib smiled, pressing their foreheads together. "Zim...ill always fight for you. Always. I promise you that."

     Zim smirked a bit, "Yeah but I'll fight harder for you."

     "Oh come on. This isn't a competition, Zim!"

     "I know," Zim looked into the other's golden eyes, "But you fought so hard for me, and you best the odds. If there's anything I'm good at...really good at, it should be...fighting for you."

     "You're good at lots of things, Zim," Dib rubbed his back gently, "Even if your plans fail or you tend to destroy things. But what gets in your way is your emotions, your soft nature deep down and even if you won't admit you're kind and you care I know it and that's all that matters. I think we've both seen parts of each other that nobody else has and that we'd never admit to. And that's something...I really like about us, about our relationship. I...feel like I can show you those parts of myself too. You're good at making me be a sappy nerd, that's for sure."

     Zim laughed, "Yes! You are a huge nerd baby with a big head. But you belong to ZIM!"    

     "Yeah well you belong to me, too, you know. You're my alien and I'm your human." Dib took Zim's hand and intertwined their fingers.

     Zim looked down at their hands, "Hmm. Alright, that's acceptable. Now, show me how to do that human affection thing again with our faces."

     Dib rolled his eyes, "Zim it's called kissing. You know that. I explain it every time you see people doing it in the hallway."

     "Yes...kissing..." He flushed a bit and Dib realised he was being shy. And he found it cute.

     "Here, it's like this..." He leaned in slowly and pressed their lips together. Zim gripped Dib's shirt and did his best to return the kiss, wrapping his arms around his neck and relaxing into the embrace. This felt pretty good, and he could get used to it. In fact, he liked this new development in their relationship. And he would never forget Dib again. He'd never lose him again, because he knew that no matter what happened, Dib would always go to the ends of the universe to find him. And Dib knew that if he were the one in trouble, Zim would do the same for him. Because in the end, they were all they had, and they made each other better, more complete, and they had never been happier.


End file.
